Women’s Health

If you’re one of the 18,087 women who are diagnosed with breast cancer this year in Australia, the fight against your cancer may be part of a longer fight for your overall health. The potent tools that are often used to fight cancer, such as chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and radiation therapy, can have long lasting…

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal condition that affects 12-21% of women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS may experience a range of health complications including reduced fertility. PCOS is attributed to varying symptoms including hair loss, ovarian cysts, chronic fatigue, and changes in a woman’s menstrual cycle. Despite being a relatively common condition,…

Guess what ladies? That discomfort ‘down there’… it’s more common than you might think. In fact, most women will experience some kind of vulval irritation during their lifetime. But when our most sensitive area starts to itch, burn or hurt, our distress can range beyond the physical. Many women avoid getting medical advice due to…

If you’ve had a recent fibroid diagnosis, you’re not alone. Far from it – it’s estimated that 4 out of 10 Australian women over the age of 40 have fibroids. That number increases with age, with as many as 70% of women developing them in their 50s and beyond. Many women with fibroids aren’t even…

When it comes to diseases affecting women, few are as under-diagnosed and misunderstood as endometriosis. Back in the Middle Ages, severe menstrual cramps were associated with madness and immorality. Women who complained of painful periods were often accused of faking their symptoms in order to avoid work. Sadly, not enough has changed. Women’s reproductive health…

Endometriosis Info – Correcting The Misinformation During the week, CNN posted a story on Lena Dunham whose own battle with endometriosis and its impact on her career shone the media spotlight on her personal plight and the monster that is endometriosis. As part of that story, Dr Scott Sullivan from the University of South…

It’s an exciting time to be a women’s health specialist. Surgical techniques are rapidly evolving, offering women safer and less invasive options for treatments that traditionally would require open surgery. One of these minimally invasive options is laparoscopic surgery. In this current era of innovation, it has become the standard technique for many surgical procedures….

Whether it’s a tiny leak when you cough, a bladder that never seems to be empty, or regular get-to-the-bathroom-right-now emergencies, urinary incontinence is actually more common than you might think. Although it’s believed to affect up to 37% of Australian adult women, most women aren’t comfortable openly talking about urinary incontinence. Embarrassment often prevents women…

Vaginal Atrophy is a common side effect of breast cancer treatment. Our infographic highlights the symptoms of vaginal atrophy and the treatment options available. Want to know more? – give us a call 1300 780 138 or read more about Monalisa Touch.

A woman’s fight to beat breast cancer is filled with physical and psychological challenges. Even after the fight is won, side effects of breast cancer treatments can still affect a survivor’s quality of life. One such issue is vaginal atrophy. This cruel condition can severely affect libido, self esteem, and the relationship with a spouse…

We live in a fast paced world and as women tend to look after those important to us ahead of ourselves. Women’s Health Week, which ran from 4-8 September, is designed to remind us how important it is for women to put themselves first. We are no good to anybody else if we are not…

Australia has a strong drinking culture, with alcohol playing a large part in our regular rituals and celebrations. Whether you’re relaxing over a meal, having Friday night drinks, going out with the girls… there’s rarely a social engagement where alcohol isn’t consumed – often with great enthusiasm! However, drinking is linked with multiple health risks,…

In the past a procedure called dilatation and curettage was commonly used to examine the womb (uterus), but nowadays a hysteroscopy is the preferred method for investigating symptoms emanating from the uterus. The procedure is performed using a hysteroscope which is a narrow telescope with a light and camera on the end. It is passed…

Becoming a mother brings big changes in a woman’s life. Suddenly you have a child that needs regular attention and care. Added to the other responsibilities and pressures of everyday living, it’s common for mums to feel they have no time for self-care, and put their health last. But it’s important to remain vigilant against…

Being a woman sure comes with a wide variety of challenges, add to that the fact that we have ovaries – just another layer of complexity to the beauty of being a woman. Having ovaries doesn’t mean we necessarily understand what is wrong when pain and other symptoms arise or know what symptoms to look…

The prevalence of bad fats, sugar, sodium and chemicals in the majority of modern foods we eat are causing a lot of health issues. Trans fat can lead to heart disease, excessive sugar can cause diabetes and obesity, this we all know but did you know what you eat can contribute toward fatigue, irritability, anxiety…

One of the best medical technologies modern healthcare provides is a pap smear, a simple test that checks for changes in the cells of the cervix. Monitoring these changes and catching them early can prevent more serious problems from developing or worsening, but in order for doctors to get ahead of problems, you need to…

Pelvic prolapse occurs when the muscles supporting the pelvic organs become too weak to hold them in place and they gradually work their way down, causing discomfort and many other problems. Doctors consider damage during childbirth to be one of the most common causes, but the damage done then does not show up until many…